Suction cleaner



Nov. 2, 1943, B RG 2,333,460

SUCTION CLEANER Filed Jan. 27, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 2 1 193 4 24 INVENTOR Quentin .BeI-y ATTORNEY NOV. 2, 194-3. Q, E 2,333,460

' SUCTION CLEANER Filed Jan. 27, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet'Z INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 2, 1943 SUCTION CLEANER Quentin Berg, Havre de Grace, Mil, assignor to The Hoover Company,

corporation of Ohio North Canton, ()lilo, a

Anl lication January 27, 1941, Serial No. 376,022

11 Claims.

The present invention relates to suction cleaners and more particularly to new and improved handle locking mechanism therefor. More specifically the invention comprises an improved handle control in a suction cleaner which is characterized in that the handle is locked in selected positions when the cleaner is lifted off the floor.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved suction cleaner. It is another object to provide new and improved handle locking means for a suction cleaner. A further object is to provide a handle control device which resistingly maintains the handle in difierent operating positions and also positively locks the handle in such positions when the cleaner is lifted ofi the-floor. Another object is to provide spring means which function to counterbalance the weight of the cleaner handle and also control the function of the handle control means to resistingly maintain the handle in any of the selected positions. Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the specification and drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation with parts broken away of a suction cleaner embodying the present invention;

Figure 2 is a section along Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a section along the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a detail view of the handle control means for resistingly locking the handle in different operative positions;

Figure 5 is a view along the line 5-5 of Figure 1, and

Figure 6 is a view of the cleaner raised on its supporting surface and the handle positively locked with respect to the cleaner casing.

An embodiment of the invention is disclosed in a suction cleaner comprising a main casing l having a nozzle H communicating with a suction air passageway l2 extending to a fan chamber l3 communicating with an exhaust passageway I 4 discharging into a dust bag l attached to a verticafiiange l6 at the extreme end of the exhaust passageway l4. The casing l0 supports an unshown motor enclosed in a housing I], the motor operating a fan i8 to create suction and to draw dirt-laden air from the surface being cleaned through the nozzle II and the suction passageway l2 into the fan chamber l3, and discharges the same through the exhaust the line 2 2 of passageway l4 into the dust bag l5; A carpet vibrating member 20 is rotatably mounted in the nozzle II and is-driven by a belt 2| extending to a pulley 22 rigidly secured to the armature shaft of the motor. The cleaner is supported on front and rear wheels 23 and 24, respectively, the latter being journalled on a shaft 25-rlgidly carried by a pair of spaced arms 28 and 21 formed integrally with a rear caster assembly 29.

The rear caster assembly is substantially U- shaped and extends transversely beneath the rear end of the casing l0 and its side arms 26 and 21 are pivoted on a rod 32 supported at its outer ends in a pair of lugs 33 and 34 depending integrally from the casing III. A torsion spring 35 is coiled around-the rod 32 and has one end anchored against the bottom wall 36 of the cleaner casing and its other end exerts a pressure upon the back wall 31 of the caster in a direction to rotate the latter, counterclockwise on its supporting rod, as viewed in Figures 1 and6. The torsion spring 35 exerts a force which tends to raise the rear portion of the cleaner and tilt the nozzle downwardly when the cleaner rests on the floor, counter-balancing the normal cleaner load on the rear wheels. When the cleaner is bodily lifted from the floor the caster 28 is pivoted counter-clockwise, as viewed in Figures 1 and 6, due to the action of the spring 35 and the influence of gravity.

The. cleaner is propelled over the surface being cleaned by a handle 38 which is removably attached in a split handle socket 39 having an arcuate front'wall .40 and opposing side walls 4| and 42. The handle socket is journalled on a pivot pin 43 which extends through the socket side walls and is rigidly mounted in the spaced side walls 44 and 45 of a handle bracket 46 mounted on the cleaner casing l0.

Attached to the side wall 4| of the handle socket 39 is a sector 48 provided at its lower periphery with an arcuate face having seats or recesses 49 and 50 defined between a plurality of stops, 5|, Hand 53 which limit the range of handle movement when the latter is in different operating positions.

Adapted to engage the sector surface is a channeled roller detent 55 journalled on a pin 56 rigidly supported on a member 51 which is slidably mounted along the face of the handle bracket arm 44 by means of a pair of elongated openings 58 in the member 51 and through each of which a pin 59 extends and is rigidly mounted in the arm 44 of the handle bracket. A spring 60 has one end secured to a pin BI rigidly attached to the lower end of the member 51 and its opposite end is anchored on a pin 82 rigidly attached to the sector 48. The spring 60 tends to at all times urge the roller detent 55 upwardly into engagement with the sector surface to resistingly maintain the handle in its adjusted positions. When the roller detent 55 is disposed in the sector seat 49 the handle is resistingly held in the vertical or storage position, shown in Figure 6; when the roller detent 55 is in the seat 58, the handle is permitted to pivot through a substantial range which corresponds to the normal operating range of handle movement, as shown in Figure 1; and when the roller detent 55 engages the sector surface 63, the handle is resistingly held in substantially horizontal position, as shown in Figure 4. The spring 60 also functions to counterbalance the weight of the cleaner handle due to the fact that it is attached to the lower end of the detent member 51 and to the handle socket 39 forwardly of the handle pivot 43.

When the handle is mounted at the rear end of the cleaner, the weight of the latter is concentrated forwardly of the pivotal axis of the handle. and consequently when the cleaner is lifted off the floor, the' nozzle tends to pivot downwardly with respect to the handle. In order to prevent such relative movement, a positive locking mechanism is provided which functions when an upward lifting force is exerted on the cleaner handle, and comprises a lever arm 65 formed integrally with the side arm 26 of the rear caster 28, the latter operating as a lever about the pivotal axis 32. The lever arm 65 extends upwardly through an elongated slot 66 in the top wall of the cleaner casing I and is provided at its upper end with a pivotally mounted laterally extending locking member 61 which is supported by projections 68 punched out of the handle bracket side arm 44 and is normally disposed forwardly of the roller detent member 51, as illustrated in Figure 1, to permit free vertical sliding movement of the roller detent member 51 when the handle is rotated about its pivotal axis 43. The locking member 61 is provided with a curved end 69 which is adapted to enter into a peripheral slot provided in the detent member 51 to lock the roller detent 55 in any one of the recesses 49 and-50 to thereby prevent the roller detent member 51 from moving in its elongated slots and thus lock the handle rigidly with respect to the cleaner casing when the latter is lifted off the floor. I

In operation, assume the handle is in storage position, which is substantially vertical position, and it is desired to lower the handle, the operator merely exerts a slight downward pressure on the handle which causes the latter to pivot about its pin 43 against the resisting force exerted by the spring 60. causes the detent member 51 to slide vertically downwardly in its elongated slots 58 and displaces the roller detent 55 from the recess 49, and there- .after the spring 60 urges the detent member 51 upwardly so that the roller 55 enters the recess 50 to permit movement of the handle over a considerable operating rangebetween the stops 52 and 53. The resisting force exerted by the pring 60 is suflicient to prevent the handle from moving downwardly past any of the stops 52 and 53. If it is desired to move the handle to the lowest operating position, as shown in Figure 4, the operator merely exerts a force on the handle which causes the roller detent 55 to move past the stop 53 into engagement with the arcuate surface 53 to thereby resistingly hold the handle in substan- Movement of the handle downwardly tially horizontal position. In order to raise the handle the operator merely moves the handle upwardly to the desired position against the resisting force exerted by the spring 60. a

When the handle is in any one of the operating positions, the spring 80 also functions to counterbalance the weight of the cleaner handle 38 to prevent the latter from moving downwardly in either one of the operating ranges defined between the stops 5|, 52 and 52, 53.

If the handle is in the normal operating position shown in Figure 1. or in storage position shown in Figure 6, and the cleaner is lifted bodily oil the floor, the weight of the cleaner is removed from the spring which exerts a force to rotate the locking lever 65 about its pivotal axis 32 in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in these figures, causing the locking member 6'! to move rearwardly into the peripheral slot 10 of the detent member 51 thereby to prevent movement of the latter and thus rigidly lock the roller detent 55 in either one of the recesses 49 or 58 and prevent relative rotation beyond the limits of the latter between the handle 38 and the cleaner casing l0. Locking action takes place as the cleaner weight is being removed from the rear wheels 24 whereby the rear caster 28 pivots counter-clockwise, as viewed in Figures 1 and 6, under the influence of gravity or by the force exerted by the spring 35 and moves the locking member 61 I into engagement with the peripheral slot 10 in the detent member 51 before the cleaner is completely lifted off the supporting surface. When the cleaner is again placed on the floor, the weight of the cleaner will move the wheels 24 toward the cleaner casing and pivot the rear caster 28 clockwise about the shaft 35, as viewed in Figure 6, causing the locking member 61 to move out of engagement with the peripheral slot 10 in the detent member 5'! whereby the latter is free to move upwardly and downwardly about its supporting pins 59 to permit no'rmal operation of the cleaner handle.

I claim:

1. In a suction cleaner, a cleaner body, lever means pivoted on said body, wheels on said lever means to support said cleaner on a surface, a handle pivoted on said body, resilient means for counterbalancing the weight of said handle, handle control means including said resilient means for exerting a force on said handle to maintain said handle in adjusted operative positions, said lever means being movable into engagement with operative positions relative to said body, and locking means mounted on said body for engagement with said displaceable element to positively lock said handle with respect to said body, said locking means being actuated by the influence of gravity when said cleaner is lifted from its supporting surface.

3. In asuction cleaner, a cleaner body, a handle pivoted on said body, resilient means for counterbalancing the weight of said handle, handle control means including said resilientmeans for exerting aforce on said handle to maintain said handle in adjusted operating positions, and locking means automatically operable upon lifting the, cleaner from its supporting surface -ed positions and including a cooperating sector and movable detent on said handle and body, and resilient means cooperating with said detent and sector to provide the force on said control means for resistingly maintaining said handle in said adjusted positions, said resilient means being connected to said handle to counterbalance the weight of said cleaner handle.

5. In a suction cleaner, a cleaner body, a handle pivoted on said cleaner body, handle control means engageable with said handle for resistingly maintaining said handle in adjusted positions, said control means being movable for movement or said handle to said adjusted positions, resilient means connected to said handle and control means for counterbalancing the weight of said handle and to exert the force on said control means for resistingly maintaining said handle "in said adjusted positions, and locking means automatically operable upon lifting thecleaner from its supporting surface to engage said control means for positively lockingsaid handle with respect'to said body.

6. In a suction cleaner, a cleaner body, a handle pivoted on said cleanerbody, handle control means on said body and handle and including a displaceable element for maintaining said handle in adjusted positions, resilient means connected to said handle and said displaceable element for operating the latter to resistingly maintain said handle in said adjusted positions, said resilient means being arranged with respect to the handle pivot to also counterbalance the weight of said cleaner handle. v

7. In a-suction cleaner, acleaner body, a handle pivoted on saidcleaner body, handle control meansonsaid body and handle and including a displaceable element for maintaining said handle in adjusted positions, resilient means connected to said handle and said displaceable element for operating the latter to resistingly maintain said handle in-said adjusted positions, and locking means operable to engagesaid displaceable element to lock the latter and prevent movement of said handle from its adjusted position.

8. In a suction cleaner, a cleaner body, a handle pivoted on said cleaner body, handle control means on said body and handle and including a displaceable element for maintaining said handle in adjusted positions, resilient means connected to said handle and said displaceable element for operating the latter to resistingly maintain said handle in said adjusted positions, said resilent means being arranged with respect to the handle pivot to also counterbalance th weight of said cleaner handle, and locking means operable to engage said displaceable element to lock the latter and prevent movement of said handle irom its adjusted position. I

9. In a suction cleaner, a cleaner body, a handle pivoted on said cleaner body, handle control means on said body and handle and including an element displaceable in a linear direction, and resilient means connected to said linear displaceable element and said handle for resistingly maintaining said handle in adjusted positions and to also counterbalance the weight of said cleaner handle.

10. In a suction cleaner, a cleaner body, a handle pivoted on said cleaner body, handle control means on'said body and handle and including an element displaceable in a linear direction, resilient means connected to said linear displaceable element and said handle for resistingly maintaining said handle in adjusted positions and to also counterbalance the weight of said cleaner handle, and locking means operable to engage said linear displaceable element to lock the latter and prevent movement of said handle from its adjusted position. I

11. In a suction cleaner, a cleaner body, a handle pivoted on said cleaner body, handle control 'means on said body and handle and including an element displaceable in a linear direction, resilient means connected to said linear displaceable element and said handle for resistingly maintaining said handle in adjusted positions and to also counterbalance the weight of said cleaner handle, 

